Corn-harvester



(No-Model.)

M. O. GATES,

CORN HARVESTER.

Patented May 3, 1892.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

MERRIT O. GATES, OF DENISON, KANSAS.

CORN-HARVESTER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 474,007, dated May 3,-1892. Application filed May 28, 1891. Serial No. 394,338- (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, MERRIT O. GATES, of Denison, Jackson county, Kansas,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Corn-Harvesters, ofwhich the following is a full, clear, and exact description, referencebeing had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part hereof.

My invention relates to machines for harvesting corn and similar cropsWhile standing in the field; and the object of my invention is toproduce a simple, durable, and comparatively inexpensive machine whichshall be rapid and effective in its action and by means of which thecornstalks can be readily cut, bundled, bound in shocks, and depositedin the field at the ends of the rows, so as to leave a clear field forplowing, seeding, or other operations.

To the above purposes my invention consists in certain peculiar andnovel features of construction and arrangement, as hereinafter describedand claimed.

In order that my invention may be fully understood, I will proceed todescribe it with reference to the accompanying drawings, in Which Figure1 is a perspective view of my improved cornstalk-harvester. Fig. 2 is acentral vertical longitudinal section of the same. Fig. 3 is a verticallongitudinal section of the bundle receiving and dumping mechanism onthe line 3 3 of Fig. 1. Fig. 4 isaplan View of one of thestalk-deflectors and its operative connections. Fig. 5 is a detachedperspective View of one of the track-bars for the dumpingreceptacle.

In the said drawings, 1 designates the body or fram e-work of theharvester, the said body or frame-work being supported at its rear endupon two rear carrying-Wheels 2. The axle of each of thesecarrying-wheels is inserted removably into one or another of a number ofholes 3, arranged in vertical series in 'a vertical standard 4, therebeing thus two of said standards 4 located at opposite rear corners ofthe body or frame-work 1. The purpose of this arrangement is to effectthe required adjustment of the cutters, as hereinafter more fullyexplained.

The front end of the frame or body 1 is supported upon a turning axle 5,which is provided with front carryingwheels 6. The front axle 5 isconnected to the front end of the body or frame-work 1 by twoupwardlyarched bars 7, which are arranged parallel with each other andthe rear ends of which are bolted or otherwise suitably secured to thefront of the body 1, as indicated at 8. The front ends of these bars '7are similarly secured to the ends of a cross-bar 9, as indicated at 10,the said cross-bar being secured midway of its length to the upper sideof the front axle 5 by a king-bolt 11. It will be seen that the upwardcurvature of the bars 7 is such that the front carrying-wheels 6 can beturned freely under said bars, and by virtue of this arrangement themachine can be turned in a very confined space and can thus be easilybrought to its work. To the front axle 9 is secured a tongue 12, towhich the draft-animals are to be suitably harnessed for drawing themachine along for its work. Upon the front end of the body 1 of themachine and at one side thereof are placed two uprights 13, which areconnected together at their upper ends by a cross-piece 14, extend inglongitudinally of the machine. The front uprights 13 at opposite sidesof the machine are connected together by a cross-piece 15, which extendstransversely of the body.

16 designates two deflectors, each of which consists of a metal bar orplate of elongated form, and each of which is hinged at its inner end,as shown at 17, to a support 18,which is secured to the outer side ofone of the posts or uprights 13. It will'thus be seen thatthe deflectors16 extend horizontally outward and rearward from opposite sides of themachine. In order to vary the inclination of these deflectors 16 each ofsaid deflectors is connected to the outer side of its supporting-upright13 in the following manner: To the inner surface of each deflector ispivoted, as at 19, the outer end of a rod 20, the inner end 24 of whichis externally screw-threaded, while to the outer side of each upright 13is pivotally connected, as at 22, a similar rod 21, the outer end 23 ofwhich is externally screw-threaded; but the threads of which are ofopposite pitch from those on the inner end of the rod 20. The twoscrew-threaded ends of the rods 20 and 21 are connected by a turn-buckle25, and it will be seen that by revolving the turn-buckle in one or theopposite direction, the deflectors 16 will be moved outward or inward,as desired.

26 designates two cutter -plates, each of which is connected at itsinner edge bya pair of hinges 27 to one of the outer sides of the body1, just back of one of the rear uprights 13. The sharp cutting-edge 28of each of these cutter-plates extends obliquely outward and rearward,as shown, and the arrangement is such that when one of the cutters isinuse the other cutter can be raised and laid over upon the body 1 out ofthe way.

At each side of the body 1, at the rear part thereof, are placed twouprights29, and the two opposite uprights of each pair are connected bya track-bar 30, each of which rests at its ends upon the upper ends ofthe posts 29, and which at its middle portion 31 is lower than at itsends. Each extremity of each of these track-bars is formed with asegmental] y upwardly-curved guard 32 for a purpose to be hereinafterexplained.

33 designates the bundle receiver and dumper, which is of sheet-iron orother suitable sheet metal bent into semi-cylindrical form, so as to beU-shaped in cross-section, and which is of such length as to correspondto the width of the body 1. To the upper parts of this dumping andreceiving receptacle 33 are secured two bars 34, each of which extendsthroughout the length of the receptacle on the outer side thereof. Toeach of these bars are attached hangers 35, upon the lower ends of whichare mounted carrierwheels 36, which run upon the track-bars 30, andthussupport the receptacle 33 thereon. The receptacle 33 is preferablyreinforced or strengthened bya number of bands 37,which extend from onebar to the other outside of the receptacle, and the upperedges 38 arepreferably bent into inverted-U shape, so as to protect the supportingdevices described.

In using the'harvester above described one of the cutters is turned upout of working position and the rear axles are adjusted, so as to setthe machine at the desired cutting height. The deflectors 16 are alsoset to the proper inclination and the machine is drawn along beside therow of stalks to be harvested. As each stalk approaches the deflector ofthe side toward the row it is caught by said deflector and bent outwardaway from the machine. As soon as the deflector'has been carried pastthe stalk the latter springs violently inward against the correspondingcutter, which quickly severs it from its stub before it can recoveritself, this action being insured, also, by the draw or shearing cut ofthe cutter due to its inclined position. The stalk falls upon the body 1in front of the receptacle 33 and is thrown by the driver or anattendantinto the receptacle, or several of the stalks are so throwninto said receptacle after they have fallen upon the vehicle-body. WVhcna suflicient number of the stalks have been thrown into the receptacleto fill the same,

they are bound into a shock and when the machine, which by this time hasreached the end of the row, is stopped the shock is dumped from thereceptacle. This dumping is accomplished by pushing the receptacleacross the machine until two of its carrying-wheels 36 come into contactwith the two curved ends 32 atone side of the machine. The opposite endof the receptacle is now'lifted up to an angle of about. forty-fivedegrees, the lower edge of the shock resting upon the ground. Theoperator now grasps the upper end of the shock and tips it easily orreadily outward, so that it assumes the desired upright position uponthe ground. The cutter just used is now turned up out of workingposition and the opposite cutter is turned outward and the machine isdrawn back beside the next row. The subsequent operations arerepetitions of those previously described.

It will be observed that owing to the peculiar form of the deflectorsand their operative position relative to the machine, in case theattendant fails to catch the stalk the instant it has passed the outerend of the deflector and has been severed by the knife the stalk will bethrown forward into the space behind the deflector and will be supportedtherein a sufficient length of time for the attendant to catch it beforeit can fall to the ground and be injured by the cutter or run over bythe machine and lost. It will also be seen that by virtue of thepeculiar described form of the dumping-receptacle it is impossible forthe stalks of corn to be mixed ,up in the receptacle or blown out of thesame by the wind, and also that there is no interference of the twoattendants who stand upon the front of the machine, as they have ampleroom to pass each other and thus properly handle the stalks. It will befurther seen that by the peculiar arrangement of the crossbar 15 andlongitudinal bars 14 the attendants are protected against all danger ofbeing carried off upon the knives, and also that the draft-animals areprevented from coming into contact with the knives while turning themachine.

Fromthis description it will be seen that the harvester is simple,durable, and comparatively inexpensive in construction,and that it iseasily managed and operates with great rapidity and certainty. It willbe further seen that after the machine has been over the field thestalks are left at the sides of the field, so that the latter isentirely clear for plowing, seeding, or other operations.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new therein,and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. An improved cornstalk-harvester comprising a vehicle body or framehaving at its sides a pair of outwardly and rearwardly extending cutterslocated at the front part of the machine, and a pair ofhorizontally-adjustable deflectors secured upon the front oftally-adjustable deflectors secured upon the front part of the machinein advance of the cutters and extending outwardly and rearwardly fromthe machine, screw-threaded arms arranged in pairs and secured to theouter parts of the machine and to the inner parts of the deflectors, andturn-buckles connecting each of the adjacent ends of each pair of saidarms, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

MERRIT C. GATES.

Witnesses:

G. G. THORPE, 1-1. "E. PRICE.

